There Shall Be No Strange God in Thee (Psalm 81:9)

One can observe among “believers” that there is an aching lack of right living and plentiful examples of hypocrisy. My partner says, “Religion is a net negative in the world.” Many “believers” do not seem to be living up to their own ideals within themselves or in their own lives, but lavish judgment on others - often using scripture to justify themselves. This leads many sensible people to reject religion, the Bible and ultimately God.

I would argue, though, that it is not God or the belief in God that is the problem. It is not even religion exactly. The problem lies in the elevation of something other than God as supreme - a thing, a force, a person, a group, an institution or an ideal.  

Where the soul may be kindled in holiness

Today, religion in it’s many forms appears to be irrelevant, dull, and oppressive. Non-religious types look to religion and see that it’s message has become meaningless. They can see that for many, faith has been completely replaced by creed. Worship has been replaced by discipline. Love has been replaced by habit. Abraham Heschel (1976) writes,

Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion -- it’s message becomes meaningless (p. 3). 

Atheists understandably reject religion, not because it has been refuted, but because religion has ceased to be a living fountain and has become meaningless. In this way, religion has become a way of satisfying human needs - it is not God whom the religious person serves, but themselves. If the end goal is to satisfy our human needs, one does not need religion - civilization should suffice. There are plenty of ways to gratify our human needs within civilization. Alain deBotton has an interesting TED talk, http://on.ted.com/deBotton, which highlights this point. Truly, if one is to choose a means to the end for the satisfaction of human needs alone, religion is not the way.  

Religion has also been distorted into a meaningless institution because some have elevated it as supreme.

We must not regard any human institution or object as being an end in itself. Man’s achievements in this world are but attempts, and a temple that comes to mean more than a reminder of the living God is an abomination.  What is an idol? A thing, a force, a person, a group, an institution or an ideal, regarded as supreme. God alone is supreme (p. 415).

Religion is only to be a reminder of the living God. Religion is to be a place where faith can become a living fountain. Religion is to be a voice of compassion. “When superimposed as a yoke, as a dogma, as a fear, religion tends to violate rather than to nurture the spirit of man. Religion must be an altar upon which the fire of the soul may be kindled in holiness” (p. 317). When we recognize that religion is an altar, we are able to enter into religious space but also distinguish from those whose actions cause religion to be a negative institution in the world. When religion is seen as an altar, we are also able to come to read the sacred texts in new ways. 

The Bible is a seed

Greek philosophy is a major foundation of western culture. We are shaped by the foundations of Greek thought in ways that we may not realize. Our understanding of religion, the Bible and God are influenced by our cultural history - we have both Greek and Jewish history embedded in our culture among others. When the ideas between these two histories clash or don’t fit or make sense, we have to discern. However, Greek philosophy and the history of the Jewish people do have to be competing world views - where one will ultimately prove the other wrong. Where Greek philosophy has its strengths in leading us to appreciating the realm of science and space, it leaves us wanting in the matters of theology and the soul. Where Jewish history provides the people of the world with the light of truth, with seeds of eternity, it does not much speak to the world of science. We cannot pit science against religion.

It was the glory of Greece to have discovered the idea of cosmos, the world of space; it was the achievement of Israel to have experienced history, the world of time. Judaism claims that time is exceedingly relevant. Elusive as it may be, it is pregnant with the seeds of eternity (p. 206).  

Moments in history when God reveals are sacred moments in time. Time itself is exceedingly relevant. Moments in our own lives testify that time is more than a simple ticking clock or a mathematical understanding of the space-time continuum. 

While science has brought great understanding of our physical world, the Greek concepts of Fortune and Destiny have also pervaded western culture. The media fills our minds with stories of fate and fortune, but there are Biblical words that plant within us a different story. The biblical understanding does not reveal a god of fate and fortune; the biblical understanding reveals a God of truth (Isaiah 65). 

The theology of fate knows only a one-sided dependence upon the ultimate power. That power has neither concern for man nor need of him. History runs its course as a monologue. To Jewish religion, on the other hand, history is determined by the covenant: God is in need of man. (p. 68). 

One can reject a theology where there is only a one-sided dependence upon the ultimate power. But, this does not mean we must reject all theology. We must reject false images of God, but this does not mean we must reject God. 

Naturally, our understanding of the bible is influenced by our culture. Many want to read the bible as we read scientific textbooks or as a detailed and factual historical account. Surely, much of the bible reveals the history of a people, but we must not forget that “...decisive is that which happened between God and the prophet rather than that which happened between the prophet and the parchment” (p. 258). Recognize that something unique happened in time, in the history of the people of Israel, in God’s reaching out to mankind. This unique happening through time is recorded on the parchment - it does not mean that the parchment is what is decisive. 

When we read the bible in ways it was never intended, we will be disappointed and can even harm others. Just as the cruelty in humans can lead to the misuse and destruction of the material world, the cruelty of humans can lead to the misuse of the words of the bible. Yet, we do not deny the good of the material world just because some people choose to abuse the materials available to them by creating weapons. So, we also cannot deny the value of the words in the bible just because some abuse and misuse them. When we allow the words to touch our minds and our hearts in authentic ways, we no longer box people into dead and harmful interpretations of the sacred words. We are then able to bring forth new understanding and new realization. 

The Bible is a seed, God is the sun, but we are the soil. Every generation is expected to bring forth new understanding and new realization (p. 274). 

The material world is magnificent, inspiring and awesome. The Lord that created the material world is at work in the realm of history as well. “The spirit of His creative power brought the material world into being; the spirit of His revealing power brought the Bible into being” (p. 181). The stories and words of the bible plant seeds in our minds and in our souls and the fruit that comes forth will be new. 

God Alone is Supreme

The words of Abraham Heschel show us how religion is the altar where the fire of the soul may be kindled in holiness. The Bible is a seed; we are the soil; God is the light of the earth. Important to remember that an idol is a thing, a force, a person, a group, an institution or an ideal regarded as supreme. We know that God alone is supreme and we will make no image of God. So, we may wonder, where is God? What does God do? What happens to us when God reigns supreme? 

God Dwells in Darkness

Once we get rid of false notions of the divine, we may wonder where is God? The bible has said that God dwells in the darkness, in mystery, in a cloud. But, beyond the deep darkness is light. Heschel writes: 

“Deep darkness" (‘arafel) is where God dwells...But beyond the mystery is meaning, beyond "the deep darkness" is light, this is why Moses was able to draw near "to the deep darkness where God was," able to enter "the cloud" (Exodus 20:21; 24:18). (Heschel, p. 193)

In a time where we seek scientific proofs, concrete answers and hard facts it may be difficult to grasp that the ultimate is not there for us to examine at will. The ultimate is shrouded in deep darkness. 

Yet, God has made himself known at moments in time. These moments have shown that we cannot know God in the way that we examine an unknown objects from above or in the way we formulate theories after peering into the sky from below. 

Israel did not discover God. Israel was discovered by God. Judaism is God’s quest for man...[Being chosen] signifies not a quality inherent in the people but a relationship between the people and God (p. 425-6).  

History has shown that God desires a relationship with us. And if God is living as the prophets say that he is, then surely God plays a part in our attempts of trying to understand him. Knowing and understanding God depends not only on our readiness to approach Him, but also on God’s willingness to be approached (p. 128). As in relationships with one another, we cannot love without vulnerability. Vulnerability entails allowing oneself to be fully known - with flaws, wrong-doing, and mess-ups. “God-awareness is not an act of God being known to man; it is the awareness of man’s being known by God.” (p. 160). To be fully known by God means to be vulnerable to Him. This type of God-awareness can open us up to acting in ways inspired and led by Him - not by ourselves but in relationship with Him. 

There are also those who seek to know and understand God. Mystics seek God and desire transcendental experiences. But, moments in history have shown that God reaches out to us. These moments are contingent upon the initiative of God and mark an event in the life of God when we respond. Heschel explains:

The mystic experience is man’s turning toward God; the prophetic act is God’s turning toward man. The former is first of all an event in the life of man, contingent upon the aspiration and initiative of man; the latter is first of all an event in the life of God, contingent upon the pathos and initiative of God. From the mystic experience we may gain an insight of man into the life of God; from the prophetic act we learn of an insight of God into the life of man (p. 198). 

This profound understanding of the prophetic act highlights the very sacredness of these moments in history. It also makes a distinction - that there are those who may seek to understand God more fully, but there are also those to whom God chooses to reveal himself more fully to. 

Interesting that often the people God chooses are acutely aware of their unworthiness to His tasks. The prophet Jeremiah said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” And the Lord says, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you…” (Jeremiah 1:5-8)  And Jesus said, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36) And Moses protested a number of times when God reached out to him. He said, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) This honest humility in the presence of the living God who is supreme is strikingly unlike those who claim to know, but do not know. It also gives us a glimpse into the moments of what happens when God makes himself known to us. 

A Revealer of Mystery, the Light Dwells with Him

Although we are taught that God dwells in the cloud, in deep darkness (‘arafel), we must not confuse God for the mystery. 

God is a mystery, but the mystery is not God. He is a revealer of mysteries (Daniel 2:47). He reveals deep and mysterious things; He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with Him (p. 66). 

God is a revealer of mysteries. God is a verb - full of love and compassion. Beyond the darkness is the light which dwells with him. This light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. 

There are parts of God’s self that he allows to be known to us. Heschel writes: 

When in response to Moses’ request, the Lord appeared to tell him what He is, did He say: I am the all-wise, the perfect, and of infinite beauty? He did say: I am full of love and compassion. Where in the history of religion prior to the age of Moses, was the Supreme Being celebrated for His being sensitive to the suffering of men? (p. 67)

God is full of love and compassion. This is unlike other false notions that reign supreme for some. As this reality sets in our hearts and minds and through our experiences, we must continue to reject false definitions of the divine given to us by culture. 

We must also be alert to the vanities of living which can block out the divine light. “‘Just as a small coin held over the face can block out the sight of a mountain, so can the vanities of living block out the sight of infinite light” (p. 85). Selfish interests can block out the divine light and suffocate the soul. 

Selfishness only Holiness can Ventilate

My partner says that hypocrisy and judgment are key reasons why he does not like religion - but he is primarily talking about Christianity. When religious people judge others, they are reigning their own ideas as supreme. I would argue that you can find hypocritical and judgmental people within and outside of religion. Whether we are religious or not, selfish interests and allowing our own ideas or institutions reign supreme, cause us to implode upon ourselves. “Selfish interests are centripetal; freedom from selfish interests is centrifugal, a turning away from the self” (p. 397). We are not free when we are consumed with selfish desires. 

Despite my own inclinations, I believe this includes our desires to be godly as well. “Godly” selfish interests are centripetal, too.  

The world needs more than the secret holiness of individual inwardness. It needs more than sacred sentiments and good intentions. God asks for the heart because He needs the lives. It is by lives that the world will be redeemed, by lives that beat in concordance with God, by deeds that outbeat the finite charity of the human heart (p. 296).  

When we give our lives (not just our secret individual inwardness) to God and, in turn, love the people around us, we become free. We can overcome finite charity of the human heart and the vanities of living that block out the light. This means laying our lives down just as we are today. 

We each know our own shortcomings better than anyone else (and certainly better than we know anyone else’s). To give our lives does not mean we must be perfect. In fact, “To be contrite in our failures is holier than to be complacent in perfection” (p. 403). Perfection is another potentially false idea that suffocates us when it reigns supreme. Love, joy, peace, selflessness, generosity, loving-kindness...these are centrifugal; these are freedom from selfish interests and come when we lay down our lives and love others. But, what does it mean to “give our lives” or to “lay down our life”? “The Hebrew word for the verb to sacrifice means literally to come near, to approach. Our task is not to renounce life but to bring it close to Him” (p. 399). We are not called to despise ourselves and love others. We are called to love others as ourselves. Saying this in another way through the words of Isaiah, the prophet - With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3).

In our culture, individualism, consumerism and achievement are a few ideals that reign supreme. In our selves, there are drives, passions and needs that we must choose how to fulfill. In our humanity, there is a great need for redemption. 

Yet we have finally discovered what the prophets and saints have always known: bread and power alone will not save humanity. There is a passion and drive for cruel deeds which only the awe and fear of God can soothe; there is a suffocating selfishness in man which only holiness can ventilate (p. 169).

Although individualism, consumerism and achievement bring us “bread and power” they will not redeem humanity - they will not orient us centrifugally or give us those gifts that fulfill our deepest needs and desires. We are called to lay down our lives so that we may truly live. We are called to be holy, because the one who called us is holy.  

Freedom, Faith, and Truth

We must acknowledge that there is a drive for cruel deeds and a suffocating selfishness within people that needs to be faced. Yet, in spite of this drive and in spite of the suffering on earth, we must remember that the world is not all danger. Man is not alone. We are free, but we are not abandoned. We are free, but we will not be lost. We are free, yet God’s honor is upon our faith. Heschel writes,

The world is not all danger, and man is not alone. God endowed man with freedom, and He will share in our use of freedom. The earth is the Lord’s, and God is in search of man. He endowed man with power to conquer the earth, and His honor is upon our faith. (p. 286). 

Observing the darkness of cruelty and suffering on the earth, one may wonder how a good God could exist here. One may especially wonder how a good God can be creator and create the earth as we see it. Yet, human freedom (which we cherish) and the creative spirit are linked. Creation means freedom, and we are intended to be free. While we may receive messages from the history of our culture about fate/destiny, biblical narrative gives us a different perspective. 

The ultimate concept in Greek philosophy is the idea of cosmos, of order; the first teaching in the Bible is the idea of creation. Translated into eternal principles, cosmos means fate, while creation means freedom (p. 412).

In rejecting gods of fate, destiny and fortune, we can begin to accept the God of truth as supreme. In truth there is freedom. And while the idea of the cosmos leads us to believing in a predetermined course of events, the idea of creation reveals a truth about the freedom bestowed upon us. 

Yet, when we choose to reign our own ideas, people, forces, institutions or things as supreme, we surrender our freedom. When (in truth) we choose to have what is meant to reign supreme reign as supreme in our lives, we will inherit the freedom intended for us. But, when (in turning from the truth) we choose to allow something false reign as supreme over our lives, we lose our freedom. We are free in this choice, but we are not free from making the choice. We are compelled to choose. This can be expanded and more eloquently explained: 

Man is free to act in freedom and free to forfeit freedom. In choosing evil he surrenders his attachment to the spirit and forgoes the opportunity to let freedom happen. Thus we may be free in employing or ignoring freedom; we are not free in having freedom. We are free to choose between good and evil; we are not free in having to choose. We are in fact compelled to choose. Thus all freedom is a situation of God’s waiting for man to choose (p. 412).

When we choose to act in freedom (and refuse to forfeit freedom), we remain attached to the spirit and let freedom happen. We become authentic versions of ourselves. We become willing to be vulnerable (Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity - Brene Brown). When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, and in humility and in truth choose to let the living God reign supreme, we are in partial fulfillment of being completely free and creative souls. “Whatever we do is only a partial fulfillment; the rest is completed by God” (p. 406). We cannot accomplish right living without God. 

Yet, we have all too often seen that those who claim that God reigns supreme actually seem to force their will and their ideals upon others. We do not choose freedom, and then become arrogant. We do not choose freedom, then become self-serving. We do not choose freedom, then become judgmental. If this is us, though we may claim to have chosen freedom, clearly something false is reigning supreme. Yet, there is still hope. “The evil urge does not spell doom; it can be integrated in the service of God” (p. 415). A Talmudic saying is, “The seal of God is truth.” If you are looking to know those who reign God as supreme, remember that by their fruit you shall know them. It is said that the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Testimony. Stories. Life events. These are the very epicenter of the truth of our lives. We cannot know God if we only study ideas about God and never incorporate the moments of faith in our lives into our ideas of faith. “Ideas of faith must not be studied in total separation from the moments of faith” (p. 8). Moments of faith occur and can transform a life. Ideas of faith can be studied for years and make little impact on the way a person lives. These two cannot be separated. They are connected. Moments of faith occur in a private, quiet place in our hearts, minds and souls. We can nurture these moments or shut them down. We are looking forward to a time when the ideas of faith harmonize with our lived experience of faith.

I have tried to explain to my sisters, in not so many words, how the altar of religion has kindled a fire in my soul, how the seeds of the bible have found their way into the soil of my heart, and how I see now that God must reign supreme in our lives. It is this experience that inspires me to right living. It is this experience that moves me to joy. It is this experience that has led me to turn my life in a new direction. “[People] have often tried to give accounts of why they must believe that God exists. Such accounts are like ripe fruit we gather from the trees. Yet it is beyond all reasons, beneath the ground, where a seed starts to become a tree, that the act of faith takes place” (p. 138). People may not feel able to accurately share with our partners or sisters or brothers or friends why we must believe that God exists. But, beyond all reasons, beneath the ground, an act of faith takes place. We are slowly (like giving birth) moving toward a place where we hope the psalm may be true for us - that “there shall be no strange god within thee.”

Concluding remarks

The words newly written above cannot match the wisdom and profundity of those of Abraham Heschel who I’ve quoted throughout this paper. Heschel was inspired by the Hebrew Bible and through his experience of letting God reign supreme. He gives this final quote as a summary which rings true for me with a perfect pitch:   

There are no words in the world more knowing, more disclosing and more indispensable, words both stern and graceful, heart-rending and healing. A truth so universal: God is One. A thought so consoling: He is with us in distress. A responsibility so overwhelming: His name can be desecrated. A map of time: from creation to redemption. Guideposts along the way: the Seventh Day. An offering: contrition of the heart. A utopia: would that all people were prophets. The insight: man lives by his faithfulness; his home is in time and his substance in deeds. A standard so bold: ye shall be holy. A commandment so daring: love thy neighbor as thyself. A fact so sublime: human and divine pathos can be in accord. And a gift so undeserved: the ability to repent (p. 239). 

(Heschel, Abraham. God in Search of Man. New York: Farrar, Straus and Girou, 1976. Print.)

Clobber Verses in the LGBTQ/Christian church controversy

There are certain “clobber verses” that some Christians use to justify the exclusion and condemnation of LGBTQ folks. They pull a translation of the scriptures, remove it from any surrounding biblical verses (verses that might point out other sins or laws that are harder to condemn or enforce, easier to ignore) and make a claim that the verses stand independently as true for all time and all places, in the name of Biblical inerrancy.

I have 5 “clobber verses” of my own that I would like to pull from the Hebrew Bible and from the Christian New Testament because they seem to me to give life, love and peace more than the usual clobber verses about “homosexuality*” that only seem to bring dread, despair and condemnation (*keep in mind this term was only recently coined in the 19th century by a German psychologist and, as evidence by changes in our own culture, has different meaning at different times).  

1. Joshua 5:13-15

As Joshua approached the city of Jericho, 

he looked up and saw a man facing him with sword in hand. 

Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you friend or foe?"

"Neither one," he replied. "I am commander of the Lord’s army."

At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. 

"I am at your command," Joshua said. 

"What do you want your servant to do?" 

The commander of the Lords army replied, 

"Take off your sandals, for this is holy ground." 

And Joshua did as he was told.

I choose this verse to start with because I have frequently seen people on all sides of the debate sticking to their guns - and framing this issue as “friend or foe,” as “us vs. them,” as pro-biblical authority or pro-love and inclusion. This verse calls us to let go of our own agenda (“take off your shoes”). It calls for us to fall to the ground in reverence and ask “What do you want your servant to do?” Then it calls for us to listen and hear. When a response is given, we can follow Joshua’s example. 

I want to note that I absolutely lean on one side of this debate. Like Joshua (we can all put ourselves in his shoes), when I talk to people about this debate I want to know, “Are you friend or foe?” I want to know, do you support full inclusion of LGBTQ folks on all levels? I want to know, do you use the scriptures to oppress and condemn others or for liberation and justice?   

But, I also believe that a living God is doing something amazing in the world right now. This Spirit-movement is happening among those who profess to believe in God and fit in seamlessly to their faith communities, and also among those excluded from faith communities, finding their own way. (By “excluded” I mean those who have been excluded for being too “sinful” and also those who choose to remove themselves from faith communities because they have not found life there - but rather judgement, division and hypocrisy).  

This brings me to by next verse:

2. Isaiah 42:16 

"And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, 

in paths that they have not known I will guide them.  

I will turn the darkness before them into light, 

the rough places into level ground.  

These are  the things I do and I do not forsake them."

This verse says that God will lead “the blind” in a way that they do not know. I think this is a very important part of this verse and others like it. When we are being led, we are not directing the course.

There are many different postures I perceive that Christians take when coming to their relationship with God. I cannot capture in words all the different ways, it is far too varied and diverse. But, I have seen that there are some who come to their relationship with God and to life with biblical certainty. Many of those who are certain in this way have been well-educated in Christian norms and beliefs. They know what the Bible says and they seek to follow that. Of course, those with certainty want to be open to letting God/the Bible/Jesus lead them - in fact, following Jesus is practically a “letter of the law” in Christianity.

However, when we are truly being led, we are not saying our lives (or other people’s lives) must go THIS way or THAT way because of our biblical or theological certainty. True, that the darkness before the blind will be turned into light, and rough places into level ground. And although the Bible gives us a framework of good laws/commands for how to live life, that is not the end of the story. When we are led, we realize that every person is on a journey and there is an uncertainty to where that journey will take us. Those who claim to know the way they should go (or the way others should go) are definitely not “the blind” mentioned in this verse. To further emphasize this point, I recall another similar verse: “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty but you remain guilty because you claim you can see” (John 9:41). 

3. Luke 12:2-3

“The time is coming when everything will be revealed; 

all that is secret will be made known to all. 

Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark 

will be heard in the light,

and what you have whispered in the inner rooms 

will be proclaimed upon the housetops.”

The controversy about LGBTQ folk among Christians is in many ways surrounded in secret, in the dark, and whispered about in private inner rooms. Yet, the time is coming…

There are gay Christians who have been forced into secrecy because of the hurtful environments the “clobber verses” (and subsequent church exclusionary practices) have created. Some of these brave Christians are coming out of the closet and refusing to leave their churches despite the hostility they face. They will forge ahead.

There are straight Christian leaders who secretly feel that they would change their hardline stance on homosexuality if one of their children turned out to be gay. There are many Christian parents who have openly accepted their gay children, only to lose long time church family and friends because of it. 

There are many pastors who privately feel God is calling them to think differently about this issue. If this calling were made public - shouted from the rooftops - these pastors justifiably fear the consequences for their livelihood and in their congregations. There are pastors (like Rev. Danny Cortez) who have publicly changed their views and suffered trials and disaffiliations and loss. Their future is uncertain. 

There are Christians who are wrestling with these issues in private and are not settled - God is calling their hearts to go one way but their minds are going another. They will either allow themselves to be led into the unknown, or will fall back on their intellectual  and biblical certainty.  

All these examples are stories of secrecy and darkness coming to light. They are evidence to me of a living God leading his children into an unknown future - and of his children who are willing to follow despite their blindness with trust and faith, come what may.

I am no theologian, and there are people who are much smarter and well-read in biblical law and theology that can run circles around me on this issue. This debate can bring out the best in people (vulnerability, willingness to accept that love covers a multitude of sins, and humility) but it can also bring out the worst in people (pride, overbearance, and focusing on the sawdust in our neighbor’s eye, rather than the log in our own.)  

4. Luke 11:48

“Yes,” said Jesus, 

“how terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! 

For you crush people beneath impossible religious demands, 

and you never lift a finger to help ease the burden.”

Amen to that. We are called to serve one another and lift each other’s burdens. We are not called to crush people beneath impossible religious demands.   

5. John 17:21 

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one 

as we are one—I in them and you in me—

so that they may be brought to complete unity. 

Then the world will know that you sent me 

and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Danny Cortez, a Southern Baptist Minister who I mentioned earlier, referenced this verse from John 17 about unity. He writes: 

“If we become a gay affirming church, I will step down.” These are the words I told my congregation after I disclosed that I had become affirming of same sex relationships. It seemed like a contradiction. Many people were surprised by my statement since they assumed that this is what I had wanted, but my deeper hope was motivated by Jesus’ prayer—that, even in the midst of our differences, we would be one.” (Cortez, "A Third Way: A Response to the Southern Baptist Convention")

I appreciate his sentiment that even in the midst of our differences, we would be one. Why does this issue create such enemies among Christians? It is so controversial right now and people are building up armies on both sides of the debate. This brings me back to the story of Joshua. Although, I admit, I often want to ask people on this issue, “Are you friend or foe?” And it’s fine to ask that question, but then we need to realize that each person we meet is an image bearer of the divine. When we turn against each other and maintain divisive reactions to our perceived differences, no one wins. Let us fall to our knees and ask, “How can I serve?” Let us unite in the knowledge that we are loved - isn't that a biblical truth?

It is time for those who are proud to be humble, and those who would condemn, have mercy - let God be the judge - and those who claim to know who God prefers most to remember with humility that it is said, “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.” All this in the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Thy Anger Turned Away, and Thou Didst Comfort Me - Isaiah 12:1

In Christian communities, the love of God is frequently stressed while the other aspects of God (particularly God’s anger) are minimized or even rejected as of the “Old Testament.” This is a convenient formulation for those in power. Love, patience, and goodness are qualities of holiness. But, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes:

Patience, a quality of holiness, may be sloth in the soul when associated with the lack of righteous indignation (360).

If God is a God of love, then divine anger is necessary in the face of people’s cruel treatment of each other and the earth. Without anger, our love and, more importantly, God’s love would seem soft or incomplete. God’s love is fierce – especially his love for the outcast, the poor, and the meek. God loves us in our vulnerability and has compassion for each of us in our most vulnerable moments. Heschel writes that, “Justice, mishpat, is the measure of His anger.” (370). God’s anger is aroused when the cry of the oppressed comes to his ears. If we wash this down in favor of a benign deity, we ignore not only an essential aspect of God, but we ignore the outcries and the very lives of people living under oppression. At times, human cruelty seems to know no bounds: 

The human mind seems to have no sense for the true dimension of man’s cruelty to man. God’s anger is fierce because man’s cruelty is infernal (101). 

God’s anger is in response to human action. And the secret of anger is God’s care. There is nothing greater than the certainty of His care. God’s anger brings about destruction and distress, but not despair. When God’s anger turns away, we experience immense gratitude and are comforted. This gratitude is the climax of faith, and an indication that God’s anger is aligned with God’s love.

You will say in that day: I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, For though Thou wast angry with me; Thy anger turned away, And Thou didst comfort me. (Isaiah 12.1)

Heschel points out that again and again we are told that God’s love or kindness (hesed) goes on forever (Jeremiah 33:3; Psalms 100:5, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1-4, 136:1-26; and Ezra 3:11). We are never told that His anger goes on forever. God does not retain his anger because He delights in love. God will again have compassion over us, “He will tread our iniquities under foot.” (Micah 7:18-20)

Strength, power, and wealth are values that are deeply embedded in the psyche of American culture. The Roman Empire would say that the gods are on the side of the strong. We see wealth and power glorified in TV and movies daily. These reflect values in our society. Yet, this is not the way of the Lord. Heschel writes:

The prophets proclaimed that the heart of God is on the side of the weaker. God’s special concern is not for the mighty and the successful, but for the lowly and the downtrodden, for the stranger and the poor, for the widow and the orphan…(219). 

In American society, the traditional view of justice has been symbolized by the balance of scales. The justice scales indicate fairness and equality, balance and stillness. Yet, the image of justice in the Hebrew Bible is one of waters rolling down, a mighty stream! “But let justice roll down like waters, And righteousness like a mighty stream.” (Amos 5.24) This image expresses substance, power, movement, vitality. Heschel writes, “to defy [justice] is to block God’s almighty surge” (275). Nothing can stand in the way of God’s justice, or God’s anger in the face of injustice. But, to the person who calls to God in their suffering, God says:

When they call to Me, I will answer; I will be with them in affliction (Psalm 91:15).

As a child, I was taught that God cares and loves us. This is a good message for our children. Yet, while the Bible supports this view, confusion can arise when we think this means life will be easy. The reality is not that God makes our lives free of sorrow or trouble, affliction or trials. We are never promised that we will not experience hardship. But, God reaches out to us in our affliction. In fact, we can grow and deepen our awareness of God while we endure hardship. To know God is to be known by God. When one develops daath elohim, an awareness of God (as opposed to knowledge about God), this inevitably includes an awareness of God’s anger at injustice and God’s deep concern for each of us.

Stream of words: Sylvia and Ruth

I want to write more stream-of-consciousness, but I haven’t done that in so long. Here goes...

Sylvia Plath, an author, a poet, a woman who loved words and wanted to die. How does Sylvia connect to me and my experience? I am a woman who loves words. I am a woman who has been diagnosed with a mental illness. But, I don’t want to die. I love to live and I want to live and I seek eternity in my prayers. My illness is a wonderful though frightening experience, confusing, but mystical. I miss it sometimes and that seems weird to me if this illness is supposed to be so scary or bad. But, I have never suffered from Sylvia lows, only Hemingway highs. The highs are like a whole new world perspective opens up, the heavens open up and I feel connected and as if God is in my very presence. Perhaps I suffer from Joan of Arc madness. Of course, I’ve read that there is a story of three different outcomes when experiencing God. When experiencing the full presence of God, they say, some die, some go mad, and some walk away in peace. Perhaps, I received only a taste of the presence and I went out of my mind.

Mark 3:21 is a comforting text for me because when I was coming out of my illness I read this verse and it touched me. [And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” Mark 3:21] I felt peace and I felt understood. I cried. I felt like this man, Jesus of Nazareth, must be able to understand what I went through with my family. They tried to take me away considering me mad/insane/crazy. They said amongst them-selves, “She is sick again.” And as they wheeled me along I sang aloud, “Crazy person coming through.” They wheeled me in a wheel chair through the halls towards the psych ward at the UM Hospital. “Crazy person coming through,” I sang to them in full awareness of my words.  

The twelve steps are wonderful…

Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

I try daily to improve my conscious contact with God as I understand. My husband wishes I didn’t care about God so much…he says he liked me better when I was spiritual but against religion. But, how can I be against religion when it is the study of the bond between humans and the divine. And sublime nature is a beautiful thing. I am reminded of Frankenstein and the descriptions in that story of the sublime. The weather and the natural setting, the wilderness, the forests, the landscape, the storms raging…and I seek nature, to be in nature, not this concrete jungle, because I find God when I’m in nature. I refuse to be contained away from nature in a hospital ward. Joan of Arc also refused to be contained in a prison cell for life, “Give me freedom or give me death.” And they thought Joan of Arc was a crazy person coming through. Give me freedom or give me death.

What is death? Death is a part of life. Like darkness and light, we have an awareness of it. We can see darkness and the difference between darkness and light. We have awareness. We also have an awareness of the difference between death and life. But, God created the darkness to divide the day (in the poetic, metaphorical story of creation). And we should not be afraid of darkness because it makes no difference to God. God is beyond the darkness and the light. And God is beyond death. I do not fear death (not all the time, anyways). I fear separation from God and love and life. Perhaps, those are not lost when death comes? Sylvia might not know because I’ve heard suicide does not produce the same after death experiences as natural death can cause. But, I don’t want to speculate or think about those things. I’d rather focus on life on earth today, right now. Do you think that there will be an end of days, a time when peace on earth will reign? I hope for that day. I pray for heaven on earth. I believe that promises will be answered especially if they come from God. I’m rooting for the kingdom to come to earth in my generation, and I can only try to be a part of that process.

And Prayer. Prayer is a wonderful thing. Prayer enables the soul to connect to a higher power. The breadth and the depth of mystical experience expand through prayer. Meditative prayer; Charismatic prayer; Petitioning prayer. I think prayer as a way of being – as in prayer that is in and around everything I do, and in and around my being. Sometimes, when I write, I feel as though I am praying. Or when I read, I feel as though I am praying. Because I feel that God is there in the word. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God. All things that have been made were made through Him. And the word became Flesh.

I’m sorry that I write so much about God now. It is my passion, my heart, and my love. I am obsessed because it is real. And it is a way for all that my heart desires. You see, I desire justice and an end to oppression. Women’s studies and feminism are pathways that I chose to follow to find justice and an end to oppression. Through feminism I view the Bible and I see that there is justice streaming through the words in the book and a way to an end to oppression. “I am the way, the truth, and the light,” he said. A professor of mine once told me that Jesus was the first feminist. But, I find that the struggle to end oppression is seething through the words of the scriptures. I find unity in my search for justice and ending oppression with my faith and spirituality. That is why I love to write and think and talk about God – because God shares my interest in ending the oppression that exists on earth. There is no place for oppression in the Kingdom of God. Connecting to something greater than myself is a crucial step in the process of mental health and well-being, in my activism, and in justice.

Feminism is the struggle to end sexist oppression. In the sentiment of sexist oppression, really all forms of oppression are held. And God is working to end all forms of oppression. So, let your God be my God (I say to the Jewish people, with my middle name – Ruth.) I say this wishing I was Ruth and knowing that the stories of the Bible are living words that can apply even to me – a young woman in the Midwest, U.S., reading stories and being deeply touched.  If I were to choose a woman to admire, a woman to follow, I think I might choose Ruth. I think about Sylvia and Ruth. I think about a woman, like me, who loved words, but who wanted to die. I think about another woman, like me, who loved Naomi’s God, and wanted to live. I love words and I love what I have seen of God. I choose to join in life, to say, “Let your God be my God.” And I choose to live with God – I love life, despite my illness. I am a feminist but I am not Virginia Woolf or Sylvia Plath. Perhaps I am Ruth and Joan.

Baby Blues

A cool breeze flows through the open window. The wind gently touches the dry winter leaves and they rustle in the breeze. I can smell the sweet ink on the journal page from thoughts written on paper. I just finished meditating by focusing on my breath, so I am slightly more aware of each breath I take now in the aftermath of meditation. The whirring of air provides background music and the scratching pen on paper, the harmony.

I knew a man named James, we called him Jim. Jim was a carpenter. He was a very large man, balding, with a bulb shaped nose and thick glasses. Despite his size, he was so timid he was almost hard to notice. He had bright blue eyes and long eye lashes. Not many people ever looked at his eyes, because he was not an attractive man and he was always looking down. Jim told me about the love of his life - a beautiful woman who was in a wheelchair. They fell in love and got married. He said that half the people who came to the wedding came because they couldn’t believe in such a pair. She died years ago. Jim was in the psychiatric unit with me. He was going through electric shock therapy at the hospital. After a few days getting to know him better, Jim said that for the first time in years he experienced one full day where he did not think about ending his life. I remember I would ask him to show me his “baby blues,” and he would take off his glasses and blink his lashes at me, smiling. He had a heart of gold and was a wonderful man. If you could only look past his outer looks, and see the man inside. I told him, “Jim, we’ve been talking and saying that you are a diamond in the rough.” He humbly smiled and said thank you. I miss Jim and many of the people I met at the hospital. We were each experiencing our own mental health crisis and I believe that God was there with us – a magnetic force that guides us through. Harold Kushner writes:

If depression is the “dark night of the soul,” God is the magnetic force that guides people through the night and brings them into a brighter world…I assure them that love and strength are not like bank accounts that grow smaller as you use them. They are like muscles that grow stronger with use. And I urge them to rely on God to renew their strength so that they can go on working and not grow weary.” (The Lord is My Shepherd, Kushner, p. 70)  

My form of mania feels so intensely spiritual and so precious and sweet. I want to say to God’s presence, “Stay, thou are so sweet.” 

Small Discoveries in Palatial Texts

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) I like these words. To an English major, a lover of the written word and great conversations, this kind of poetry sounds so sweet. Fania Oz-Salzberger and her father Amos Oz in their book Jews and Words write: “But if there is any chain at all between Abraham and us, it is made of written words” (p. 42). Now, this concept fascinates me. The lineage of the word passed down from generation to generation, recorded and shared with the world is fascinating. There is something special about the link of the Word to God, and of Abraham to us (even those of us who are not Jewish can understand the chain of written words from Abraham to the present day).

One of my favorite classes in undergrad was called “Reading the Bible from the Margins”. As a feminist, I am familiar with the critique (and indeed the raging anger) at the traditional norms that have oppressed women and that stem from patriarchal interpretations of the Bible. I am closely familiar with the oppressive gendered norms that are so prevalent in the Christian religion. I also recognize traditionally oppressive gendered norms in other religions as well. However, I have been taking another look at the Bible with a fascination of the textual twists towards those in the margins – often women – living in certain realities at the time the words were written. The Hebrew language is a language that holds multiple meanings in English. The stories in the Bible often have more to say than what meets the eye. Biblical words have been passed down from generation to generation to teach the children who teach their children. These living words are more beautiful than any geographical or architectural or cultural design I can think of.

Of all the cultures and religions I have learned about, Judaism seems to have a deeply founded relationship with both the written and the spoken word. Even in the early days, Moses received tablets with words inscribed on them for the people. Whether it is true or not that he actually had the tablets, this emphasis on the written word is interesting. Oz-Salzberger and Oz write:  

The grandeur of ancient Israel is not a matter of cities and kings. Material life may well have been crude, buildings rough-hewn, and clothing course. Solomon’s splendid palace may well be a flimsy abode, a fib or a fable. In all honesty, ancient Jewish architecture is not a major point of pride.

But the texts are palatial.

Genesis, Isaiah, and Proverbs are our pyramids, our Chinese wall, our Gothic cathedrals. They stand undemolished in the flow of time. They have fed a plethora of offspring: from Mishnah to Haskalah, from medieval Sephardic poetry to Modern Hebrew Literature, from Gotthold Ephraim Lessing to William Faulker, all were able to drink from those deep wells. (p. 113)

Those of us who grew up on the words in the Hebrew Bible are offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Some of us may not have genetic ties to Abraham, but we are children of the texts. My fascination with words in religion stems from my Christian upbringing. Christianity is the religion I am most familiar with and is part of the lens I use to view religion and the written word. Christianity is part of my cultural perspective. My parents and my childhood upbringing ensured that. However, I also earned a Masters degree in Women’s and Gender Studies and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Feminism is another part of my lens that I use to view the written word. I love women and am fascinated with how women are portrayed in writing and how women are in reality – which can be so beautifully varied and diverse.

Recently, my sister, my mother and I watched a mainstream movie, “Snow White and the Huntsman”. It is a tale made popular by the Brothers Grimm and by Disney. It is a story of a virginal white young woman who is kissed by a handsome prince and wakes up from a cruel spell put upon her by an evil step-mother. So often the heroines in American culture today fit into a set type. I grew up with stories about beautiful young heroines who become princesses like Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine. Disney makes a fortune on perpetuating the commercialization of princesses. Young girls grow up on stories that teach them to desire to be young, beautiful and snag a handsome prince – which is so disconnected from reality. As our girls grow up, they watch stories on TV of young pop stars rising to fame and fortune because of their beauty. Another important element to these stories is that there are rarely older women who are positive role models for these young girls. The evil witches or evil queens are typically the antagonist in the stories. Their mother’s are usually dead. In pop culture, one can only imagine how mothers feel about their daughter’s over-sexualization on TV. But, the mothers of the pop-stars are usually silent; hidden behind the scenes.  

And what about the biblical heroines written in stories that I grew up with? While there are strong, quite valid, feminist critiques against the patriarchal norms in the Bible, I find something refreshing in the biblical text. The women portrayed are varied and diverse. In light of the dominant secular American culture, I find the diversity of heroines is striking: Sarah, Hannah, Deborah, Hagaar. There are prostitutes, old barren women who become pregnant, slave heroines and manipulative queens which are among my favorite heroines in the Bible. I also admire the dark nameless beauty in the Song of Songs, and in the New Testament, the preferred sister Mary who sat and learned from her teacher while her sister Martha anxiously cleaned the house. In patriarchal texts and born into patriarchal societies, the numbers of diverse women that are named and their stories that are included in the Bible are many. Oz-Salzberger and Oz write:  

   

They do not follow the Greek pattern—either goddess or mortal heroine. They do not follow the medieval pattern—either saint or prostitute. They do not follow the European pattern—aristocracy, bourgeoisie, or lower class. They do not follow the British pattern—upstairs or downstairs—although their tents are sometimes as intricate as a manor house. The Bible’s women are so variegated that they simply inhabit a full human spectrum. (Jews and Words, p. 70-71)

In the written word, as compared to pop-stars on TV and in movies, physical beauty is only found in descriptions and in the mind of the reader. There is no concern about weight or wrinkles or gray hair in the written word. The heroines are heroines because of what they do and what they say. I prefer the stories and the lessons of these famous female heroes that have passed down through the generations from Abraham to us today.

The traditional view of women can be offensive and anger provoking. Maimonides wrote in Mishneh Torah, “For there is nothing more attractive for a woman than to sit in the corner of her home, as ‘All the glory of the king’s daughter is within’.” He stated that women should remain in the home and not go out and about more than twice a month. This appears to be a very sexist, chauvinistic text. But, I prefer to interpret his insights and the quoted Psalm 45:13, in a different way. I like the idea that all the glory of the daughters is within. But, I don’t think this means in the home in the traditional sense. When I think of “within,” I think of an internal state of being. The beauty within is the glory within a person’s heart, soul and mind. The beauty of women is within. This interpretation is relieving to me in a culture soaked with idealized external beauty types. Also, the cornerstone is an important part of a building - the most important part. If a woman’s place is found within, in the corner of the home, I would argue that this means in the key place of the foundation of where she resides. By reside, I mean as her place in the family or in society. With this interpretation, the woman is no longer a subjugated housewife sitting in a corner of a home, but actually, the most beautiful pillar of the foundation of the people. She sits in the cornerstone, the key to the foundation, and her beauty is not fleeting physical beauty, but an eternal beauty within. All the varied women heroines in the Bible from the prostitute to barren elderly women show strength, a claim to what is their right, and a chutzpah within. And that is true beauty.      

Women are often (not always) the purveyors of culture. Men have historically been absent with the children and only teach by example of hard work or absence. Women (mothers, day care providers, nannies, etc.) tell their children stories. Women have historically taught children by getting their hands dirty (literally with diapers and figuratively with lessons). But, I see a disruption in these traditional gender norms. Women and men are taking new roles in the family. I have focused on women, but as for the men, the last verse in the Old Testament (the last of the Nevi'im in the Hebrew Bible) says this: “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:6) This is an interesting message for a society filled with single mothers and absent fathers. If we take the words as a critique of society as is, the words have much to teach. Both men’s and women’s honor can be found in the hidden corners within these perennial pyramids of biblical text. Words were there in the beginning and will be here to the end.     

"A Breath of Wind from the Wings of Madness" - Baudelaire

It was a breath of wind from the wings of madness. Perhaps it was more like a gust of wind that knocked me off my feet. “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?” (- Frida Kahlo) Unconventional Frida: she dressed like a man for family photos; she read and wrote about revolution; she lived authentically. She rejected mainstream norms and in her paintings revealed a truth about an inner reality. I see something in her that I have, or I wish to have, in myself. I want to participate in creating social change. I am tired of the oppression and stigma that paralyze innocent people in our society. I heard that a wise prophet once said to a paralyzed man, “Pick up your mat and walk.” Can change be that easy? The oppressive forces in our society do not allow one to pick up and just go. How can we create change and fight invisible forces like stigma, power and oppression?

I have a reality that I am allowed to keep hidden because I look white and female and “normal” to the outside observer. But, the truth is I have been diagnosed with a mental illness. “Bipolar disorder” is the label they gave me, stuck on me, and will forever stigmatize me – but only if I let it be known. I can choose to keep this hidden and avoid judgment. Yet, I want to live authentically and I want to fight for change.   

Even though I’m mentally/emotionally paralyzed, I want someone/something/some power to heal me. I want someone to tell me to pick up my mat and walk. I want to love others and create change. But, I don’t want the kind of change that white missionaries (or white settlers or Euro-Americans or Europeans everywhere who are obsessed with “saving” and changing others) try to make. I don’t want to create more oppression. I want oppression everywhere to end. And I cannot use the master’s tools to dismantle the master’s house.

How does one fight against oppression? How does one fight for revolution, for an end to racism, stigma, judgment, and power? Lois Beardsley, a Native woman, writes: 

“There is no way to know in advance. Racism, stupidity, hatred, hunger for power – they do not come with road signs. They do not come with billboards. They do not come with flashing lights. They do not come with blaring horns, attention-grabbing sirens, GONNA HURT YOU written backwards so we can see it in a rearview mirror. Abusers do not necessarily come in a different cloth from the common man. They do not necessarily come with their intentions posted on their foreheads, etched upon their long toothed trickery, which is unspoken in the silent beckoning motions of their hands. Abusers are born of tradition, tradition of history, tradition of eminent domain, manifest destiny, slave holding, low-wage-paying, advantage taking, murdering, homesteading, let’s not forget.” (p. 8, The Women’s Warrior Society)

How do we fight a hidden, silent, difficult-to-recognize enemy – a “meme” – born of tradition and history? Ability/Abilism. Race/Racism. Class/Classism. Sexuality/Gender/Sexism. I feel a brewing, a burning in my heart. I feel a frustration, a discontentment, and a deep longing that I am afraid of because I need to take care of my mental health but I also can’t be mentally healthy in a society like this.

I remember a time…time in the psych hospital. I felt so free there for a moment. I let my hair loose. I wore no make-up. I danced and laughed and cried whenever I felt the urge inside me and all expressions of being were ok in that place; that psych ward in the hospital. I was “crazy” after all and could do or say anything I wanted. My only punishment was a lifelong sentence - a diagnosis. And now? Now, what have I become? I take my prescribed dose of medication every day. I fix my hair. I carefully apply make-up in the mornings. I am married to a good, middle-class man. We might as well have a white picket fence outside.

The world can be open and wonderful, expansive and has room for everything under the sun. And I don’t want mainstream, banal, submissive life. I want color and music and love and diversity. I want my children to grow up with role models and examples of all different ways of being. I want more from life than the mainstream. I feel as though I have almost everything – and want none of it. There is a force inside me that is bucking like a wild horse; there is within me a breath of wind from the wings of madness.

Instilling a healthy racial/ethnic identity in our youth

We have been given a daunting task. As a case worker for youth in the foster care system, we are expected to help instill a healthy racial and ethnic identity in our young people. How does one instill a healthy racial and ethnic identity in a child? How does one even know what that looks like?   

I have been taught that there are four stages of racial/ethnic identity development: Relative Unawareness, Emerging Awareness, Exploration/Identification, and Commitment. All people move in an out of these stages – sometimes returning to one or the other, sometimes staying stuck at one stage for long periods of time. The first stage, relative unawareness, is one where race is not seen as very important, stereotypes are believed, and one identifies primarily with the dominant white culture. The second stage moves into an emerging awareness where one notices that race matters, that people are treated differently, and this comes with feelings of confusion, guilt, anger, shame, depression, or self/group appreciation. The third stage is an exploration/identification process where people begin to distance themselves from mainstream culture and actively define for themselves what race/ethnicity means to them. The last stage, commitment, involves developing positive feelings about ethnicity, confidence and security about racial identity, and acceptance. This also includes a commitment to eliminate all forms of oppression and an openness to acquire new knowledge and skills regarding race/ethnicity.

Before we begin the task helping children develop healthy identity, we must take a stark look at our own progress in racial identity development. I completed a masters degree in Women’s and Gender Studies – a field that examines systems of oppression and works towards developing healthy racial, gender, sexual, class identity. As a white woman, I have come through different stages of racial identity development. Throughout this growth process, I find that I continue to return to prior stages and back to commitment again. This includes feelings of shame, confusion, and struggle. Feminism was my way of distancing from mainstream culture to find a more socially just way of living. It was a way for me to develop my gender and racial identity in our current society. It is my way of staying committed to anti-racism and to end oppression. However, people often ask me, “What is feminism anyway?” and “What does feminism have to do with race?”

Feminism has many definitions. One definition is that feminism is the movement to end sexist oppression. Feminists and others have found that sexist oppression cannot be disconnected from other forms of oppression. Oppression is the absence of choices. Oppression's many forms are interconnected. Our children in the foster care system experience an absence of choices in many areas of their lives. Add race to that. Add class to that. Add sexual orientation. Feminism is a movement to end these forms of oppression – it includes an examination of race.   

In 1919, WEB DuBois wrote, “The uplift of women is, next to the problem of the color line and the peace movement, our greatest modern cause. When, now, two of these movements—women and color—combine in one, the combination has deep meaning.” Uplifting our children who experience oppression in these different forms has deep meaning. Even though this was said almost 100 years ago, I would still say that ending the many forms of oppression is our greatest modern cause.

Being a woman has shaped and influenced my life in a variety of ways. In many other ways, however, I am privileged. I am privileged for being white, college educated, and middle-class. bell hooks writes: “Privileged feminists have largely been unable to speak to, with, and for diverse groups of women because they either do not understand fully the interrelatedness of sex, race, and class oppression or refuse to take this interrelatedness seriously.” We MUST take this interrelatedness seriously. Especially when trying to help our children develop healthy perspectives of themselves.

I believe that all people have power. People can use their power to resist exploitation and oppression. People can use their power to gain the freedom to work at transforming society so that political and economic structures will exist to benefit all people equally. The unequal society in which we live affects all of us and our behaviors. In his book Race Matters, Cornell West writes: “We must acknowledge that structures and behavior are inseparable, that institutions and values go hand in hand. How people act and live are shaped—though in no way dictated or determined—by the larger circumstances in which they find themselves.” Although structures influence our behaviors, we don't need to allow social institutions to dictate or determine how we act and live. We can work towards building healthy racial/ethnic identity.  

We live in a racist society, no one can deny that. I now turn to my children in the foster care system. How can we prepare them for the discrimination they may face? How can we instill in them healthy identity and perspectives – for both white children and children of color? We must talk about it. We must have courageous conversations with the young people. We must ask questions. Don’t ignore the problem. For the sake of the children, we must join the anti-racism movement to transform our society into a more equal and just society. This begins with an examination of our own identity and working towards instilling a healthy racial and ethnic identity in our youth.   

Assumptions

“One of the conditions of enlightenment has always been a willingness to let go of what we thought we knew in order to appreciate truths we had never dreamed of.”

– Karen Armstrong

This quote reminds me of something my best friend once said. “I love when my assumptions are proven wrong,” she told me. I am working to let go of my preconceived notions about the world, and appreciate new truths as they become revealed through insight, discernment and wisdom. My best friend and I grew up together in a cult-like religious community. This group started in Ann Arbor, Michigan as an evangelical outreach to students at the University of Michigan. It grew and became more and more restrictive. People began to interpret scripture literally. This rationalized interpretation of religion has resulted in a very modern phenomenon: fundamentalism. My best friend and I saw fundamentalism first hand. Men were not allowed to change babies’ diapers; women had to submit to the will of their husbands. Many women in this group gave the authority of God to the men in their lives as their “spiritual leaders.” I confidently rejected this fundamentalism and all that came with it.  

To accept dogma on someone else’s authority is “unskillful.” We must gain our spiritual understanding through our own quests, rather than giving that power away. Midrash is a concept meaning “to go in search of,” “to investigate,” and “to go in pursuit of something undiscovered.” There was very little midrash in the cult-like group we grew up in. Midrash requires constant reinterpretation and the ongoing, never-ending process of revelation. We need to be open to new revelation and work towards constant reinterpretation of truth, and we must direct our insights to the needs of the present day. We need midrash in our religious and scientific communities. I believe that discovery is ripe in the modern day scientific community, while our religious communities are frantically nailing down myths as truth. St. Augustine believed that whenever the literal meaning of scripture clashed with reliable scientific information, the interpreter must respect the integrity of science or he would bring scripture into disrepute.  

            I came across an interesting story about a teacher and a student trying to understand Brahman. The teacher told the student to put a lump of salt in a beaker. The student waited overnight and in the morning he could no longer see the lump of salt. Yet, the salt was still present throughout the water in the beaker. This is Brahman – the inner self in the world. Yajnavalkya, a seventh-century sage, explains:

You can’t see the Seer who does the seeing. You can’t hear the Hearer who does the hearing; you can’t think with the Thinker who does the thinking; and you can’t perceive the Perceiver who does the perceiving.

What is this Brahman? What is this unseen Seer? I rejected the fundamentalist religion of my childhood. I have assumed that I know certain things about the world.   

While in school at the University of Michigan, I worked at a Middle Eastern restaurant. My bosses gently but passionately hoped that I would come to believe in Islam. I listened to them with great curiosity, but have not been able to accept any specific religion due to my upbringing and exposure to fundamentalism. Karen Armstrong writes about kafirun aka “infidel” or “unbeliever.” This word has been misunderstood in its modern day usage. The root of this word, KFR, means: “’blatant ingratitude,’ a discourteous and arrogant refusal of something offered with great kindness.” I wonder if there is something out there, something like an unseen Seer, an unheard Hearer, and an unperceived Perceiver that is being offered to us with great kindness. I am trying to let go of what I thought I knew in order to appreciate new truths.